Adventure Is Out There

As a little girl you imagine your future with Prince Charming but can’t grasp the specifics of when, where, and how. Well this is the when, where, and how my happily ever after begins: I was walking on the backstreets of Beijing with my little sister Annie, our friend Christian Richter, and our personal tour guide Shannon. We had just gotten done riding tandem bikes through the Hutong and were walking through some alleyways filled with teenagers and vendors selling stinky tofu on sticks. I cleared a corner and saw him. He was tall, handsome, and best of all… AMERICAN. We talked all evening about Chinese corn flavored popsicles, communism, and how he is NOT related to President Thomas S … we went our separate ways, me with his business card, and him only with my name. I spent the remainder of my time in China smiling and recalling the encounter- and came home to a Facebook message from him. We proceeded to Skype for hours at a time about once a week, making ...

Some people say, "It was a once in a life-time opportunity," and often times I don't think we accept the gravity of that statement. In my limited experience with such an opportunity, I have discovered that most people will never in their lifetime experience what I experienced... and I find myself feeling very undeserving of the gift I received. I saw China in a light that I never expected. I LOVED IT. Oddly enough its polar opposite from “The America” in a lot of ways. Annie and I have been working on a long running list of reasons why China is different from the good ol’ USA, and this is what we’ve come up with so far. If you want to add… feel free. · They eat with chopsticks ; we eat with miniature shovels . · They love giving gifts; we love receivin g gifts. · They use skin whiteners ; we fake-bake, lay out, and use bronzer. · They love communism; we love McCarthy. (Kidding, but seriously) · They live to w...